Karamba, a remote village in the Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand, houses just 19 families. To reach the village, one has to cross 3 km of dense forest and a rivulet. During monsoons, the settlement gets completely cut off as the water level of the rivulet, Jhari, rises to life-threatening levels, and the absence of a pucca road adds to the locals’ woes. They have to go all the way to the nearby revenue village, Amnari, even for the basic medical needs. Things are especially difficult for pregnant women, who have to be carried on palanquins for 4 km through the jungle, crossing the rivulet to reach the nearest health centre. In the past, many expecting mothers had to suffer due to their inability to get timely medical support.
When Team Goonj, together with its partner organization, visited the village and suggested that the villagers could build a wooden bridge over the rivulet, all the families immediately agreed to work on it under Goonj’s ‘Dignity For Work’ (DFW) initiative.

Partner organization: Srijan Foundation